Yes, Aer Lingus posted a loss for 2008, and is forecast to post a loss in 2009 also. Then again, which airline hasn’t? However, unlike many, Aer Lingus posted healthy results in recent years, including a profit of €105.3million in 2007, a loss of €69.9m in 2006 (because of a restructuring charge of €133m to reduce long-term costs), and a profit of €88.9m in 2005. Hardly a “desperate story” as you describe it.

Aer Lingus has very successfully turned itself around, moving from being a full-service airline to a low-cost operator. It is still the favoured option for most Irish people, as it offers much friendlier service than Ryanair, and more flexibility when things go wrong. Many people, myself included, would never choose to fly “cheap and nasty” Ryanair where an alternative low-cost provider services the same route. Aer Lingus happens to be one of the best of the rest, in my humble opinion.

And Aer Lingus has not lost two CEOs in the past year, as you suggest. Willie Walsh left Aer Lingus in January 2005, shortly before he was offered the job as CEO of British Airways, and his successor Dermot Mannion resigned on 6 April 2009.